Panjshir, 21/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - After eight years of American presence on Afghan soil, the United States has decided to take the lead in a strategy for Afghanistan. This will be a difficult job and with the projects to be developed focusing on the long term and considerable security-related risks, the financial effort is not to be underestimated. There is only one objective: to stabilise the country and develop the economy- first of all domestically, then at export level- of the State, which is considered to be the world's largest producer of heroin, particularly by creating alternatives to growing poppy crops, still carried out by around 9.8% of Afghan families, despite a drop of 10% (compared to 15% in 2007). However, it will also be necessary to consolidate governance, eradicate corruption, ensure access to basic health care and justice services, to set in place infrastructure (amongst other things, rebuild the ring road connecting the capital with the principal cities of the country, a project which would also be the basis for an industrial rebirth of the country), to create capacities to ensure appropriate access to education for young people and, lastly, to give the young people hope and encourage the citizens to work and to give them the resources to live on their work. The view of the Commander of ISAF (International Security Assistance Force of NATO) and commander of the American forces in Afghanistan, General McChrystal, is that the war can be won but it will take more effort, both military (speed up the train of the Afghan security forces) and non-military, in order to create alternatives to the current situation and eventually to leave the country, "the only way it is capable of providing its own security, development, growth and public safety", according to a military source on the ground. The strategy promoted by the United States is ambitious, but little by little, and still very much at local level (each provincial reconstruction team or PRT having its own development policy), it seems to be paying off.
The situation in the country remains worrying. The State has virtually no internal revenue (with industry and agriculture ravaged by 30 years of war; the value of exports in 2007, with the exception of opium, stood at 274 million dollars, whilst the value of opium produced in 2007 has been estimated at 4 billion dollars), the average salary in certain areas is 60 dollars a year (even though on average, the monthly revenue of a professional employee could be as high as 400 dollars), the illiteracy rate is around 70%, public administration favours a tribal means of organising society rather than central government and average life expectancy is no more than 45 years. Al Qaeda, with its warlords making massive profits from drugs, which are easier and around 40% more profitable to grow than wheat, are not keen on any obstacles to its interests. Lastly, although generally accepted, the President is pushing the limits of fraud to extremes in order to ensure his re-election. Afghanistan is a country dependent on its donors (in 2007, the operational budget of the government was 1.3 billion dollars, 730 million of which came from own revenue and 577 million from donors, whilst the development budget was 3.7 billion dollars coming from donors alone). After 30 years of war, the Afghans seem tired of fighting to survive and would apparently rather send their children to school than arm them. In some provinces, particularly Ghor, the villagers have set in place their own system of defence against infiltration by insurgents, preferring to have recourse to the national police. Apart from the 10% reduction in poppy crops, recently announced in a United Nations report, the training of the Afghan security forces and local projects are starting to see the light of day (EUROPE 9979). Unsurprisingly, in a society which is relatively closed off and multi-ethnic, the development strategy does not always go down well. It must reckon with traditional customs (in the Panjshir Valley, which is considered liberal, schools are mixed but classes are not), manipulation carried out by the religious community, attempts to break the alliance (the strategy of the insurgents is to make use of the entire population), an attitude of protest on the part of a section of society and the growing opposition of the general public in the countries contributing troops, who are opposed to the sacrifice of lives of their countrymen in a far distant country. However, the efforts of those who wish to change the status quo are considerable, progress is visible, the sums invested large and the sacrifices agreed deserve to be developed further.
Near Kabul, at Badam Bagh demonstration farm, which is run jointly by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the European Commission and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a project is in place to teach Afghan farmers methods alternative to the production of the local grape. Another project, which at this stage involves around 60 exporters, finances the production of labels for Afghan apricots. In the province of Ghor, in the centre of the country, the Lithuanian government, which is responsible for the PRT, is raising funds to build a road to connect the city of Herat with the city of Chagcharan (the capital of the province). A number of cooperatives of farmers and craftsmen are creating a system for tool sharing. With the help of Germany, the airline Safi managed, in June this year, to start up the first direct air links between Europe (Frankfurt) and Kabul for more than 30 years. There are three flights a week and a new route to Paris is planned for the autumn.
In the Panjshir Valley, the stronghold of commander Massoud, the United States, which is responsible for the province, has invested 65 million dollars over the last five years (by way of comparison, the funds invested in the reconstruction of Iraq was more than 18 billion dollars). The effects of this manna are visible: the roads are better than in some European countries (although the driving conditions are not, in all cases), the PRT with its team of engineers is working to upgrade the network of roads, the Italian NGO Emergency has founded a clinic, a Japanese NGO has created a plantation of cherry and apricots trees and honey produced locally using the bees introduced by the PRT is circulating freely on the local market (at a price of 4 dollars a pot). As it is currently the only PRT with an integrated civilian-military chain of command and which is situated in a relatively peaceful province (Taliban infiltration is very low, due to the ethnic composition of the province, which is majority tadjik), the PRT is in a position to develop partnerships with local construction businesses. According to the PRT command, recruiting workers is not a problem and their salaries are paid regularly, irrespective of the contractors. The projects are majority-funded by the CERP (Commander Emergency Response Programme) (three projects at a total in excess of 500 million dollars). This is a military budget, with a provisional envelope for 2010 of one billion dollars and with high levels of flexibility for the projects. Other sources of funding come from USAID - via private sub contractors - funding, amongst other things, the construction of the majority of an 80 kilometre road across the valley (10 km of metalled road costs around 4 million dollars), and from the State Agriculture Department (projects carried out by ADT, a unit of military guards specialising in agriculture). According to the command of the PRT, other projects are needed to counter the "secondary effects" of the development. Firstly, it is necessary to monitor the local population and give them greater responsibility. By way of example, in the province of Ghor, as well as the construction of a micro-turbine, Lithuania has paid for people to be trained to manage it. In Panjshir, as well as building schools, NGO staff are developing projects to train teachers. With the help of the Afghan ministry, international organisations are building a teacher-training college, whilst the PRT is planning funds to build accommodation for them. Secondly, and this is where the local government should be more and more involved, the needs and the implementation of projects should be better targeted. Currently, the PRT of Pansjhir is negotiating the construction of a waste disposal centre, but the start of the project is held up by a dispute regarding the ownership of the land.
The province, which has a great tradition of resistance, firstly against the Soviets and then against the Taliban, and which is home to Dr Abdullah Abdullah - the most serious opponent to President Karzaï at the elections of 20 August this year - also leads the way when it comes to the development of relations of trust between the Americans and the local population. The relationship is good enough for the governor of the province to have delegated a proportion of his Mujahideen guard to protect the American troops and for the latter to take part, albeit as observers, in local government meetings. Ever since an attack on the PRT convoy near Bagram in May of this year, killing four soldiers, one of which was the commander of the base, the relationship of trust has deteriorated somewhat. Most journeys are carried out by air, unless they are in the immediate vicinity. The soldiers (most of them from the United States Air Force) carry out between two and four missions a day, mainly meetings with the village elders, engineering duties (roads, building schools, surveillance of an electric micro-powerstation, etc, medical assistance and training the local police (the camp is home to 12 members of the military police, who are involved in the training of the Afghan national police)).
Over time, what has been set in place in the Panjshir Valley and the province of Ghor is to be rolled out to the entire country. However, the timescale will depend on the willingness of the Afghans and capacities of the international community. Of the allied countries, Germany has pledged that it will remain on the ground for as long as the Afghan government needs it. France is getting ready to deploy gendarmes from the European gendarmerie force and whilst it has no plans to withdraw its troops, Canada is thinking of withdrawing from the front line by 2011. As regards Poland, which is getting ready for the six rotation of its contingent, a meeting is planned for this week between the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister to look into the possibilities of reinforcing civilian presence. (A.By./trans.fl)